20200405 | 科技巨头们的新机会

Don’t waste a good crisis

Big tech firms are thriving. They should seize the moment and detoxify their relations with society

The pandemic will have many losers, but it already has one clear winner: big tech. The largedigital platforms, including Alphabet and Facebook, will come out of the crisis even stronger. They should use thisgood fortune to reset their sometimes testy relations with their users. Otherwise big government, the other beneficiary of the covid calamity, is likely to do it for them. Demand for online services has exploded and the infrastructure behind the internethas proved to be admirably reliable (seeScience and Technology). Newcomers such as Slack and Zoom, which helpbusinesses operate remotely, have become household names. And although some tech supplychains are creaking and online advertisingspending has dipped, overall the big fivefirms are seeing surging demand.

Thriving [adj.] 欣欣向荣的，茁壮成长的，繁荣的，富裕的 = flourishing

Very lively and profitable

Unemployment here is higherthan the national average, but many people are stillthriving.

这里的失业情况高于全国平均水平，但许多人仍然十分富裕

Thriving economy 经济繁荣

Sluggish economy 经济萧条

Seize [v.] 抓住

toseize control of sth 夺取对某事物的控制权

tobe seized with sth; to be seized by sth 受某事控制

toseize sth with both hands 双手紧紧抓住某事物；充分把握某事物

seize the opportunity 抓住机会

Detoxify [v.] 解毒，排毒  净化与社会的关系

Pandemic [adj.] + disease 大型流行病

         [n.]大流行性疾病；瘟疫

Epidemic [adj.]流行的  [n.] 流行的，传染性的

Pandemic is anepidemic that is geographically widespread

Come out of 幸免于…

Fortune [n.] 财富，运气，命运  [v.] 给……大量财产

to make a fortune 发财；发迹

tofollow the fortunes of sb 追踪记录某人的命运

testy [adj.] 易怒的，暴躁的，敏感的

easily irritated or annoyed

Ben's getting a littletestyin his old age.

本上了年纪后变得有点易怒了

Beneficiary [n.]受益人 the beneficiary of sth

Calamity [n.] 灾难，不幸事件[正式] 比disaster严重

-     the calamityof war 战祸

-     end incalamity 以灾难收场

Disaster [n.] 大破坏，灾难，[普通]

Catastrophe [n.]语气最强，指可怕的灾难，强调最终的结局  environmental carastrophe 环境灾害

Be likely todo 很有可能做某事

Demand exploded需求爆炸 快速增长

Admirably [adv.]极好地，出色地

Remote 偏远，远程，偏僻的，关系远，不亲密的 Remotely

a remote village

偏远的村庄

In remote future 遥远的将来   In remote past 很久以前

to be remote from sth 远离…；与…无关 subjects that seemremote from teenagers' lives

看上去与青少年生活不相干的话题

there is a remote possibilitythat … 有很小的可能性…

Household [n.]家庭

          [adj.] 日常的，家庭的，家喻户晓的

Become householdname成为了家喻户晓的名字

Creak 发出碾压声 

Dip [n.] 浸渍，下降

[v.]浸泡， 下降，蘸取，把……伸入

dip the chips into the tomato ketchup

Go for a dip 游了一会儿泳 （沾了一下水

dip to 下降到……

Surge 汹涌，激增，蜂拥而来，急剧上升

Surge forward 一拥而上

The photographers and cameramen surgedforward.

摄影师、摄像师们一拥而上

an unprecedented surge in demand

前所未有的需求激增